This is the actual recipe from Le Cirque!
Life is all about balance, after all!
In this spirit, dont feel bound by the vegetables Ive used!
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Use the best seasonal spring produce you find, or check out my recommendations for substitutions.
I will always have fond memories of Le Cirque.
But for this starry-eyed greenhorn new to the world of fine dining, it was worth every penny.
Invented as a dish to celebrate spring produce, there are now many versions of Pasta Primavera around.
So it seems sharing the original recipe in all its perfect glory is just meant to be!
What you need for Pasta Primavera
1.
The vegetables
The vegetables I used in this recipe are as per the Le Cirque restaurant recipe.
Theyre mostly spring vegetables, as explained.
However, absolutely feel free to switch and change to your tastes and/or whats in season where you are!
For each vegetable, Im including suggestions for substitutions for similar vegetables.
Make this dish your own!
ie make a run at mimic the shape of broccolini as best you’ve got the option to.
Cherry tomatoes Or cut regular tomatoes into chunks.
Mushrooms Any kind sliceable!
Snow peas Substitute with green beans, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise.
Asparagus More broccolini or zucchini are probably the best substitutes for this.
Peas Just frozen is totally fine in my books.
Frozen peas really are better than old fresh peas.
If you have home-grown-garden-fresh-organic-peas youve shelled yourself, I want to be you.
Basil A handful of fresh basil really adds that taste of warm weather brightness to this dish.
Ive added a note in the recipe for the best way to lighten it for the calorie-counters out there!
Pine nuts This is the signature ingredient thats a hallmark of Le Cirques version.
It adds a distinctive flavour and texture that really makes this recipe unique.
I urge you not to skip it!!
Substitutewith non-reggiano parmesan or grana padano.
But you MUST finely grate it yourself!
Cream For the sauce.
Thickened / heavy cream is best though regular cream also works.
As for low fat?
Well, its still good but obviously changes the end result.
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Butter Melted and stirred into the sauce.
Garlic To add tasty flavour to the sauteed vegetables.
Olive oil For cooking the vegetables.
Nobody wants soggy, floppy, dull vegetables in their Pasta Primavera!
We want perky, green and vibrant vegetables spring is about the new and fresh remember!
Cutting the veg
I wont cover cutting all the vegetables.
Just the ones sliced in non-typical ways (but its not hard, I promise!)
Asparagus Grab a few and snap the base off with your hands.
Asparagus will naturally break at the point of the stringy woody base starts that we dont want.
Cut off the top 3cm / 1.2 tips and set aside.
Then slice the stems on the diagonal into 2.5 cm / 1 lengths.
Then split the floret in half lengthwise (or quarter if you have abnormally fat ones).
Slice the stems on the diagonal into 2.5 cm / 1 lengths.
Cooking
Sauce Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add cream and parmesan.
This way, the pasta and vegetables should be done around the same time to bring the dish together.
Then add the zucchini, tomato, peas and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
By this time, all the vegetables should bealmostcooked with a slight bite to them still.
Its the point at which vegetables are at their most vibrant and sweetest when cooked!
Reserve pasta water Just before draining the pasta, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water.
This is our secret weapon for thickening the sauce, read Step 1 above for an explanation.
Sauce and vegetables Return the drained pasta back to the empty pasta cooking pot.
Then add the vegetables plus creamy sauce.
Pasta cooking water Add 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water.
It also emulsifies the sauce (ie.
Toss over heat Turn the stove up to medium.
Serve the pasta up immediately!
Creamy pastas stay at peak eating for only a short time.
The longer you leave it sitting around, the less creamy and silky the sauce will be.
I forgot how great this dish really is!
I do hope you try it, no matter what season it is where you are.
Here are my favourites.
Life of Dozer
Dozers debut on TV as part of thecookbookpublicity tour!!
Is this really happening??
Watch him on Channel 10s Studio 10here.
His chef toque, hand made by the publicity manager at mypublisher!
(in the Uber en route to the studio ).
I did a cooking demo of the12 Hour Slow Cooked Lamb…. wearing my lamb print skirt!
